Addressing Selection Criteria

Key selection criteria
(KSC) are an unfortunate but necessary part of a government job
application. They are used to
shortlist the applicants and
choose the tops ones for an interview. They are typically
given more
weight than the rest of your application (which will also include a
cover letter and resume), so the only way to secure a government
interview is to have great KSC!

The KSC appear again during the government
inteview process where the interview questions will be based
around the criteria.

They are found in most government job ads and
applicants are asked to write statements addressing them.

They are essentially a summary of
the skills, abilities, knowledge, experience, qualifications and
work related qualities that a position requires. They are closely
related to
the job description and will reflect the exact requirements that are
listed in the job description.

They let each applicant know how they will be assessed.

They are used to assess written applications
and they are also used in government job interviews.

They generally come in the form of
statements, however they can also be just a list of competencies.

From an
applicant's perspective, they are time consuming and
confusing, and addressing them is the most frustrating part of their
job application.

You may have heard the term "evidence based criteria" and
wonder what it means. It essentially means that when an
interview
panel are reviewing your written job application or interview
performance, they are looking for evidence that you have met their
requirements. They do not care for how much you know about a
topic or how good you say you are, they want evidence that you can
substantiate your claims.

It is up to you to provide
evidence that you meet the KSC and the best way to do
this is to provide lots of examples from your experience and work
history.

The key to excellent selection criteria is focussing on hard skills
that you can prove. Saying that you can do something is not enough. You
need to demonstrate it. And demonstrate it in a way that a panel member
(who is reading quickly through 30 other applications) canabsorb
quickly, take notice of, and remember.

You may notice in a job interview that a lot of the
questions will start like:

"Tell me about a time when..." or

"Give me an example of..."

By
doing this the interviewer is wanting to know about specific examples
of when you have used the skills, experience or knowledge that they are
questioning you about. You can write about the same sort of things in
your job application. Write about examples of your skills in action.
Tell the panel about specific instances where you have experienced
something or grown in your knowledge. This is what the interview panel
really want to
know about and you can make your statements stand out by including
these kinds of examples.

Often KSC are advertised as either 'essential'
or
'desirable'. But, from an applicant's perspective, whether they
are labeled as essential or desirable should not make any difference to
how you address them. You need to address all selection criteria as if
they are essential.

More important than being essential or desirable is the fact that
every selection criteria will fall
into
one of five categories, and which category they fall
into will effect how you should address it. It is really important that
you know what kind of criteria you are addressing and what
information you should be providing. These categories are:

Skills and abilities

Knowledge

Experience

Qualifications

Work related qualities

Skills & Abilities

How do the skills that you have, relate to those required in the
position?
What skills do you have that are transferable to the position?
How have you gone about improving your skills in the past?
Have you reached a specific proficiency level?
Provide a few examples of your skills and abilities in action.

Knowledge

Where did you get your knowledge?
How is your understanding relevant to the position?
How would you apply your understanding in the position?
How do you continuously improve and build upon your knowledge?

Experience

Where did you gain your experience?
How much experience do you have?
What is the quality of your experience?
How has this experience benefited your current employer?
Provide a few examples of your experience in action.

Qualifications

A paragraph stating your qualification and where and when it was
obtained is generally sufficient. If the criterion has not been
specific regarding the qualification required e.g. “a qualification in
social sciences,” it is best to add an additional paragraph describing
how your qualification is relevant to the position, or outline any
major areas of study that are beneficial for the position or work area.

Work Related Qualities

Work-related qualities can include things like initiative,
motivation, commitment to a set of workplace values, a code of ethics,
or a code of conduct. Address this criterion as you would the
skills and abilities criterion, and if a criterion asks for your
commitment, provide examples of how you commit to the principle.

As mentioned above, KSC usually come in the
form of
statements, but they can also be a list of competencies, particularly
when a competency framework or the Australian Public Service (APS)
Intergrated Leadership System is used.

We receive lots of questions from applicants wanting to know how
they should address these competencies. And the answer is very simple.
Whether
you have to respond to a statement or a competency framework/statement
it is important
to remember:

the method for writing your statements is exactly the same;

the way you will be assessed is exactly the same;

the
only difference is how the statement is worded and how the selection
panel have come up with the KSC / compencies to be
addressed.

Assume that all applicants are well
qualified for the job and make
your application the marketing document that describes:
why your skills are the most relevant; why your experience is the most
beneficial;
why your understanding is the most developed;
and why you have the best personal qualities for the position.

Use the same language that is used in the advertisement and job
description

Make your job application a marketing document that shows:

* your strong abilitites that are better than
anyone
elses;
* your related working experience that makes you the
ideal candidate;
* your well developed understanding tha will ensure
success in the role;
* and
how you have the ideal personal qualities for the job.